Curiosity
by Xaphrin
Summary: Stuck in Mumbo's Hat there's nothing to do but wait until the other Titans rescue Raven and Speedy. Well, there is always Speedy's curiosity. How many questions can he ask before Raven kills him? Or kisses him? One Shot.


**Curiosity  
**_Speedy and Raven Fan-Fiction_

)O(

"I'm beginning to feel we drew the short straw."

"You think?" Raven ran her fingertips along the dark, smooth wall, feeling for any indication of an escape. Anything that might be a secret latch to open a door. It was beginning to look pretty bleak. She sighed and slid down the wall, letting her head fall back against it. Speedy smacked the side of his flashlight, the light quivered back into existence, briefly showering the ten-by-ten room in light before fading again. He sighed and sat down next to his companion.

"How exactly did we get _in_ here if we can't get out?" He threw the small light at the opposite wall. It shattered and showered the floor in plastic pieces. Raven wasn't even angry about it, what was the point? They had felt every nook and cranny in the place, and there was nothing that expressed an escape.

Raven and Speedy had been stuck in the small room for over three hours at this point. It was supposed to have been a routine check. Boring and benign. Mumbo had escaped from the Steel City Jail and while the other Titans followed his trail, Raven and Speedy were supposed to file paperwork and look for clues inside his cell. They had entered it completely oblivious to what would happen next.

POP!!

They found themselves stuck in a small room with no light and no exit.

And little hope from the other Titans.

"Do you have any idea where we are?" There was the sound of shuffling, and Raven got the distinct impression that Speedy was stretching out on the floor. He was probably settling down for a nap at this point. There was nothing to do but wait for the others.

"No…" Raven chewed her lip and looked into the darkness where he sat. "Well, I have one idea, but it's not a very promising one."

Speedy laughed, but there was little humor behind it. "His hat?"

"Yep."

"_Great_."

Raven pushed her hood of her head and sighed. "At least I'm still human." She reached up and ran her fingers along her ears, glad to know they weren't long and furry, and there was no _cute_ button nose and whiskers. That was an experience she wasn't ready to repeat. Ever.

"Ah, Robin told me that story." Speedy chuckled. "He said you made a pretty cute bunny."

Raven was grateful for the darkness, at least he couldn't see her blush. She wasn't cute. Starfire was cute, Bumblebee was cute, hell, even _Beast Boy_ was cute. Raven was princess to a dark world and daughter to a now dead demon. _Cute_ she was not. Raven pretended to scoff and turned away from him. "Ha ha. Very funny, Speedy."

"Don't kill the messenger."

"That wasn't a message."

The silence covered them again and a few minutes passed, the only sound was their breathing mixed with the unsteady rhythm of Speedy's fingers against the floor. Raven could feel him turn to her. "So, now what?"

"Now, we wait until we're rescued." Raven could feel disappointment leaking out of him. He hated being away from the action, waiting like a damsel-in-distress until someone rescued him from a _hat_. He slammed his fist on the floor and growled.

"I don't like it."

"I don't either, but we don't have a choice at this point." Raven sighed. "We wait."

"I hate waiting. I hate not being there to help Bee."

Raven snorted and rolled her eyes. "She doesn't need your help. She can kick your ass."

Speedy chuckled. "As if."

Raven rolled her eyes again and sighed. "Did you ever stop and think that maybe she lets you win so you can keep your ego?" She turned to him, hoping to see his outline in the dark, but there was nothing. Even though she knew he was there, she felt lonely. She didn't like being alone; without friends.

"No! Really!" Speedy cried in mock shock before he snorted again. "I know that. I just don't like leaving her without help. It makes me nervous."

"Ah." For some reason there was a small, black spot that blossomed over her heart. She ignored it and turned back to Speedy. "So, is Bee a love interest?"

"Pfft." Raven felt Speedy roll his eyes. "No way. She'd kill me if I even looked at her the wrong way. Besides, she's got a thing for Vic if I know anything." Raven felt his shrug, and then his gaze landed on the darkness surrounding her. "I just don't like to see girls fight. They deserve better than that… you know, to be pampered and preened until they're completely content and happy. Girls shouldn't fight."

Raven snorted and smacked his arm, glaring in his location. "How very kind and chauvinistic of you. You'll make a rich heiress happy one day."

"I'm not. It's just… how I feel."

"Maybe girls like to fight." Raven wished she could punch him in the face, but there'd be questions later. And Raven couldn't afford questions. She was already embarrassed to be stuck in a room, inside another dimension, which happened to be inside a hat. Oh, and they had to _wait_ until the Titans defeated Mumbo before they got out. "You know, maybe we like to prove we're just as good as you are. Maybe we like to beat the bad guys too."

"I know…" Speedy laughed and Raven felt the "thunk" of his head as it fell against the wall. "It scares me though… to lose people I love. People I consider my family. Women should be protected, cherished… they should be spoiled rotten in every sense of the word. If I could keep the horrors of the world away from the women I love, I would."

Raven frowned and considered his words. They felt honest, sincere, and straight from his heart. Even if they were dated and silly. "Oh. I guess I understand then."

"I'd hate to see something happen to her because I wasn't there to help."

"You know, girls feel the same way."

Speedy laughed. "I imagine they do. Especially Bee. She'll be upset that she sent me into the cell and got me stuck in this hat."

"I figure Robin will too."

Speedy laughed and she could feel his eyes on her again. "Love interest?"

"Ha." Raven smacked his arm, damned the consequences. "Mr. I'm-a-Titan-and-Titans-can't-fall-in-love? I hardly think he'd be interested in me." She laughed slightly. "I'm no Starfire."

Speedy turned his whole body toward her, and Raven felt the curiosity rolling off him. She began to regret her sudden admission. "So, was Robin _ever_ a love interest?"

"I'm not having this discussion with you, Speedy."

He shrugged. "I'm just curious… I've always wanted to know what turns you on."

"What turns me on?" Raven growled under her breath, signaling to him that he was treading on dangerous ground. He just laughed in response, obviously unaware of the impending doom. Raven smacked him again.

"I'm curious." He rubbed his arm, trying to soothe the ache she had given him. "You're the one no one understands. I can figure out what Bee wants, what Fish Boy wants, even BB and Vic. But you…" There was a long pause and he took a deep breath, testing the waters of the conversation. "You are a mystery."

"And _you_ will never solve it." Raven scooted away from him, frowning. Part of her wanted to tell him what interested her, what fascinated her. Part of her wanted to tell him everything about her, but she didn't have the guts. She didn't feel like she should tell him _anything_ let alone _everything_. Besides, _no one _got to know about her inner-most secrets. She had let that happen once, and her heart had been broken and betrayed.

"Oh, come on. Just one thing. Tell me one thing that sparks your interest."

"Books."

Speedy laughed. "Books turn you on?"

"You said 'sparked my interest', there was no indication of love or lust in there."

"Okay, then, what turns you on?"

"You're never going to find out." Raven pushed herself back onto her feet and began running her hands up and down the walls again. Maybe if she ignored him he would stop all the silliness of wanting to know what "turned her on". Maybe he would just leave her alone.

"Oh, come on. I'll tell you one thing that interests me."

"Pfft." Raven brew air between her lips and rolled her eyes. "Fine. Knock yourself out, but I won't return the gesture, so don't expect anything."

"Not even _one _thing? Well, I guess I can't win them all." Speedy laughed, and there was the sound of him getting to his feet. "I like a woman with brains."

"Well, that blow-up doll you stash in your closet will be hurt you feel that way." Raven wasn't sure what was making her snap at him. He really didn't deserve it, he was just… being Speedy. Maybe she was hot, tired, and angry that she missed out on the action. Or maybe it was just because he was really annoying the hell out of her.

The latter seemed a better reason at this point.

"Ha ha." There was a short pause before he continued. Raven was beginning to find he didn't like silence. She couldn't really blame him; there were all kinds of personal demons that hid in silence. "I like a girl who can teach me new things. Quote Shakespeare. Play chess. Tell me what the elemental symbol is for gold."

"Au." Raven responded without thinking, and then felt color rush to her face. What was that? Why did she feel like it was necessary to respond to his stupid comments? She turned away from him and began running her fingers up on the top of the wall. Maybe there was something she missed there. "There, now you don't have to ask. You can impress _her_ with your knowledge."

"You _are_ smart." She felt the smirk on his lips. "So, tell me one thing. I told you something about me."

"You aren't going to stop are you?" Raven sighed and leaned against the wall. She stared into the darkness, looking for him. Her answer was a chuckle and she sighed again. "_Fine_. I like a guy who will stick up for me."

"Don't all women?" Raven felt Speedy approach here where she was standing.

"Well… it's different." She chewed on her lower lip. "Guys will punch another guy for looking at his girl the wrong way, but if she's teased in public, there's a small chance that he'll say something. He doesn't want to risk ridicule from him peers." She shrugged. "Some girls can deal with that and some girls can't. I can't."

"You've dated some pretty stupid boys then."

"You have no idea." Raven rolled her eyes, and then kicked the wall, feeling her anger spike. Bringing up all these bad memories was really starting to irritate her, and Speedy wasn't helping. "This is stupid! I do not want to be stuck down in this stupid hat."

"Calm down." Raven felt his gloved hand reach out and touch her arm. Raven snatched her arm away as if she'd been burned. She didn't like _anyone _touching her, that included Speedy. Even if he was just trying to help. She could feel his gaze on her and he sighed. "Getting upset isn't going to make this any easier. I don't like it, but we're stuck here."

"I know." Raven grumbled again and fell onto the floor. "I know."

"I can be quiet if that's what's bothering you."

"No… It's just…" She listened as he sat next to her again. "I'm not prone to share my secrets to people. I don't have a lot of things that I want people to know." She reached out and pulled the clasp to her cloak open. It slid off her and onto the floor. "I'm not comfortable sharing deep secrets."

"All your secrets are deep." She felt him smile. "I understand, it's personal."

Raven rubbed her face, feeling suddenly weary. She didn't feel like fighting with him anymore. "This is silly." She sighed and turned to face him. "What do you want to know about me, Speedy? What fascinates you about me?"

"I don't know… everything I guess. Everyone else is easy to figure out, but you're so enigmatic. You make everything about you a guessing game. I don't even know your favorite color."

"Green." Speedy laughed and Raven realized she'd surprised him. She forced a small smile. "I like the color green, but it doesn't look good on me. Blue does though."

"So that's why you wear blue all the time?"

"I suppose." Raven sighed. "What about you? Let me guess… it's red?"

"I am pretty predictable." Speedy laughed and looked over at her.

"I wouldn't say that." Raven watched the darkness between them, looking for any indication of his facial features. "You surprise me all the time."

"Like how?"

"Most people ignore my existence… you always make sure you say hello and smile." Raven slid farther down the wall until she was laying flat on the floor. "Even now, you don't have to talk to me. But you are." She turned slightly to look at him, but was still met with darkness. "When I fist met you, you never seemed like the kind of guy who wanted anything to do with a social outcast like me."

Speedy barked out a shred of melancholy laughter, and he slid to the floor next to her. "I know how you feel. But, you'd be surprised at what kind of life I've led. Coming out of the hole I lived in, you learn never to judge people from the outside."

"I've heard about you." Raven rolled over on her stomach and looked at the darkness next to her, feeling his ribs brush against her arm as he breathed in. It felt strange and intimate, but she kind of enjoyed the intimacy. "I'm not one to judge anyone by what kind of life they've led, you least of all. I came to Robin looking for help to defeat my bastard of a father. I ended up staying with them." She sighed. "Stupid life."

"Stupid life." Speedy agreed. There was the sound of him turning on his side, and Raven could feel him watching her. Her heart skipped a small beat, but she calmed herself down at looked back into the darkness, waiting as the silence grew heavy before he spoke again. "Did you ever think of just ending it all? Just giving up."

"Sure." Raven shrugged. "But then my father would have won."

"I felt the same way." Speedy reached out and touched her arm. Raven flinched slightly from the sudden contact, but there was no desire to pull herself away from him. There was something comforting in it, something she could understand. He was reaching out for someone to understand who and what he was. He wanted someone to commiserate with him, and who was Raven to deny him something so simple? How could she tell him no, when she wanted the exact same thing. She wanted someone she could spill all the pain to, someone like Speedy. Two broken souls looking to piece themselves back together.

"Black Canary was the biggest help to me… she just let me cry it out all the time." Speedy laughed, but there wasn't any humor behind it. "I've never cried so much in my life then when I was in her arms."

Raven reached out and pressed a hand to his arm. "Crying helps, you know. It's good."

Speedy's fingers found hers, and then intertwined. Raven's heart skipped another beat. "So I've been told." There was a long pause and he pulled her hand close to his chest. Raven felt the steady rhythm of his heart beating under her touch, and something about it soothed her. "You should try it sometime. You keep everything locked inside that heart of yours. One day it's going to burst and you're not going to know what to do."

Raven felt a smile touch her lips. "I've healed from a broken heart before."

"It's different, you know… having your heart burst from feelings. From mistakes."

"I imagine it is."

The silence covered them and Raven began to feel her eyes get heavy. It was late when they headed out, and she hadn't seen sleep in almost twenty four hours. It was dark, warm, and having Speedy hold her hand like he was just made her body want to slip into slumber. "Sleep if you're tired, Raven. I'll wake you up when they come to get us."

"No. I'm fine."

"If you stay awake, I'm just going to ask more questions."

"I imagined you would." She smiled, unable to enjoy the conversation. "Ask away."

"Favorite book?"

"That's like asking for a favorite star." Raven chuckled. "I don't really have one."

"That seems unusual for someone like you. I imagined you would give me a list of all those boring dusty tomes you read." Speedy laughed as she smacked his arm. There was another pause, then he asked the most feared question of them all: "First kiss? What was that like?"

"I don't know, I've never had one." Raven felt the color rise to her cheeks and she pulled her hand away from him. This was a topic she wasn't ready to discuss. Being one of the eldest Titans and her lips were still virgin was reason enough to be teased until she died. "Let's move onto the next subject, shall we?"

"No, first kiss?" Speedy, of course, couldn't let the subject drop. He reached out for her, but Raven pulled away, frowning. He snorted in response, assuming this was all a very clever joke. "Oh, come on. You must be lying to me."

"No. I haven't been kissed, and I'm alright with that. I heard it's nothing to be concerned with." Raven pushed herself into a sitting position, suddenly feeling like she was at a disadvantage lying on the floor. "If you don't mind, we'll move onto something else?"

"No." Speedy sat up as well and she could feel the severity of his gaze even through the darkness. This was not going to end well. Raven stood up and stepped away from him, feeling her magic start to spark at her fingertips. He was plotting something against her, and her powers could sense his intentions.

"I'm serious, Speedy. Drop it." She backed away from him, but he followed. She could feel him stalking her like wolf would its prey. He wanted to bring her down. Her heart started to slam against her ribs, and she wondered if he could hear it. It sounded like someone was stomping on the floor. Her back hit the far wall and Raven realized there was no escape at this point. "Speedy. If you do what I think you're plotting, your left arm becomes forfeit."

"Worth it." He pressed a hand to either side of her face, effectively boxing her in. "I wasn't lying when I told you that you fascinate me. Everything about you, and I've always wondered what it would be like to kiss you…"

"It can be deadly. So, I would recommend stopping." Raven pressed closer to the wall and growled in the direction she expected his face to be. "I'm serious, Speedy. This is not right."

"Hm." Speedy didn't say anything else; he didn't want to argue anymore. He bent down and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

Raven, who's previous plan included death followed by resurrection then death again, suddenly went with Plan B: letting it go. Speedy was a skilled kisser, soft and gentle, but still passionate. Everything about him screamed masculinity and Raven was unable to deny that her femininity cried out for its other half. She felt her body go soft and pliant, and she leaned up to kiss him back. He slipped his hands behind her back and pulled her close, their body pressed tightly against one another. Raven was completely unable to stop him.

His tongue swept inside her mouth and Raven was secretly delighted with the strange and new sensation. He tasted woodsy, but sweet, like a marshmallow that was burned over a campfire. Raven slowly brought her hand up and buried them in his soft hair. It smelled slightly of fresh pine, and the scent married with his taste making it impossible for Raven to stop. She didn't want to let this experience go.

Speedy pulled away and gasped for breath before pressing small kisses along her jaw. She could feel his lips smile against her skin, satisfied with his decision. If Raven could have found the strength, she would have punched him. "So? For a first kiss?"

"I'm going to kill you." Her words sounded weak to her own ears, and her legs shook under the weight of her body. She just wanted to fall to the floor and sit there until her heart and her body reunited.

"Worth it." He nipped at her earlobe, and Raven mewed in response, much to her dismay. "Wanna try again? Just to see if it's worth it?"

"Worth what?" Raven's mind was floating somewhere in the heavens, and she was having trouble following his train of thought from that height.

"If kissing me is worth losing your first kiss over."

"Oh. Okay." Before Raven had a chance to realize what she just agreed to, his lips found hers again and started another relentless onslaught. This kiss was all passion. There wasn't even the hint of tentativeness in it. He had found something, and he wanted to keep it for himself. He stole her breath away and continued to let his lips talk for him. Every nip, lick, and bite just seemed to wake something inside Raven that she didn't know. Something strange and new; something that delighted in his strength, his masculinity, his forcefulness.

Speedy slid his palms down her ribs until he reached her hips. He grabbed them with an unusual amount of force and ground his own hips against her. Raven felt color flood to her face at the unusual hardness between their bodies. She had the power to do that to a man? Good Goddess, what was wrong with her? She needed to stop this stupidity quickly before something terrible happened. Something neither of them could reverse.

"Stop. Speedy. Stop." She pushed him away, glad to feel air fill her lungs again.

"I know…" He whispered, his breath ragged. "I'm sorry, Rae. That wasn't right. I shouldn't have… I just… you fascinate me."

Raven began to understand by what he meant when he said "you fascinate me". It was code for something else entirely. Something more important than curiosity. She blushed again and slid across the wall until there was plenty of space between them. Plenty of space for hormones to cool down and thinking to be involved. She watched the darkness where Speedy stood, waiting for his breathing to still.

"So… that was… _new_." Raven pushed her hair out of her face, feeling like she had just stated the sky was blue. This was ridiculous. Why couldn't she just admit there was an elephant in the room?

"Yes… that _was_ new." There was the sound of clothing being moved, and Raven realized that Speedy was "adjusting" himself. She blushed and turned away, giving him privacy. "I should have stopped sooner. I'm really sorry, Raven."

Raven felt her heart sink into her stomach at the name. What was wrong with him calling her "Rae"? It felt… _natural. _She liked the way it sounded coming from his lips. She frowned slightly and began feeling along the floor for her cloak. "I'm not saying it wasn't… well, I enjoyed it, Speedy… I just wish you would warn me next time. I was a bit taken aback by the sudden forcefulness."

The sound of shocked silence was her only response.

"What?"

"You just admitted you liked being kissed."

"Is there something wrong with that?" Raven felt color reach her cheeks again. Was she supposed to hate the sensation?

"By me. You admitted you liked being kissed by me."

Raven found the pile of fabric and started to bend down to pick it up, but Speedy's fingers closed around her arm, stopping her progress. She turned to look into the darkness where he stood and felt her lips slide down into a frown. "What? I'm not supposed to enjoy being kissed by a handsome young man? I'm supposed to hate it?"

"Well, _no_. I just figured you'd hate it naturally."

"I'm a woman, not an android." Raven tugged at her arm, trying to get free. His fingers tightened and she sighed. "What is it, Speedy?"

"You fascinate me."

Raven's lips turned into a small smile and she tugged her arm away from his fingers before pressing her nose close to his. "You intrigue me."

)O( )O( )O(

_Leave a review if you're so inclined. If not, I understand. _


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